Vendor Spotlight | The Drake Hotel

Shaun Rajah, Associate Catering Director

Where to begin with Shaun! He is an utter dream to work with. He is top-notch professional but always manages to have fun along the way. Shaun is incredibly detail oriented, which in this industry is a MAJOR component to success. Working with Shuan you can always expect the best and he and his team will deliver – every time.

We have the pleasure of working alongside Shaun and The Drake Hotel and wanted to ask him a few questions to tell us more about himself and his role!

Meet Shaun and enjoy! XX…

So Shaun, tell me about yourself and your role with The Drake Hotel!

Shaun has a Bachelors Degree in International Hotel and Catering Management from the Institute Vatel in France. In his spare time he enjoys sleeping, shopping and eating. He considers his greatest talent being his ability to ensure those around him have the highest quality of life. A few things that most don’t know about him is that he was born and raised in Malaysia. Shaun has truly been an asset to the Drake Hotel. He has done consistent and professional work in his numerous roles at the Drake Hotel. He has greatly impacted and contributed to the success of the Catering Department. – Damien McArdle, General Manager of the Drake Hotel.

Where does your inspiration come from?

My Asian heritage. I believe the best is never good enough and I constantly evaluate and re-tool my service standards and execution. My team and I meet twice after every event: once to discuss the details of the wedding, and once to bullet-point what can be done better the next time.

What were some favorite moments of 2015?

Personally: Purchased a home

Professionally: Earned my promotion, hosted 42 weddings with resulted in 100% satisfaction from guests’ feedback. New Friends – I meet a new vendor every weekend and it’s been such a great partnership

Why is The Drake Hotel the perfect venue for a wedding?

In a world of “contemporary” and “modern,” The Drake remains classic and timeless Although we constantly learn and adapt to maintain the most elevated service standards, we stand alone when offering a historic, yet relevant, venue for our brides.

What is the most important thing in your bag of tricks?

My OCD. Every detail is triple (literally triple) checked not only by me, but by my team as well. That means at any given moment, every contract, event order, tasting schedule, floor plan, etc. has been reviewed multiple times to ensure seamless execution.

What is your favorite part of your job?

Sounds corny, but I love being an integral component to a bride’s most magical day. Think about it, most of these brides have been dreaming about their wedding for 20+ years, and they have chosen me to execute every detail of this event. I take this responsibility very seriously, but still have a blast along the way.